Slot machine and other metal gaming tokens have historically been manufactured and decorated by standard coinage minting techniques wherein a preformed metal token blank is embossed or decorated by stamping between hardened metal dies. Such stamping may be a single strike or multiple strike depending upon the depth of the decoration or design that is embossed on the surface of the metal token. Each metal gaming token formed in this manner has the decorative design features formed on the token in bold relief. Most often the denomination of and identity of the casino issuing the token is stamped around the periphery of the token.
Although such tokens have been used for many years by the gaming industry, they suffer from the disadvantages of the lack of positive identification of the issuing casino and the constant replacement of worn or partially worn metal tokens. Because metal gaming tokes are made to standard size, weights and metal composition, the issuing casino cannot prevent the use of metal gaming tokens purchased at a competitor""s casino. In addition, as metal tokens are processed through slot machines and counters, an attempt is made to identify and reject counterfeit slugs by the weight and electrical resistance of the token. Unfortunately, as the tokens wear, changes in their weight and electrical resistance results in the rejection of genuine tokens, and the casino is faced with the cost of almost constant replacement of worn or partially worn metal tokens.
Plastic gaming chips have solved the casino identification problems by molding decorative designs into the plastic chip using distinctive coloring and occasionally setting inserts into the face of the chip to identify casino of origin and denomination. Most often plastic gaming chips are stacked in trays by denomination which is visually identified by casino personnel skilled in that art. In addition, because plastic gaming chips are limited to table play, abrasive wear encountered in machine handling of metal gaming tokens is not an issue.
However, because plastic chips are significantly lower in weight and lack the stick slip characteristics required to function in slot machines, plastic chips cannot be used in place of metal tokens.
From time to time, various mints have attempted the identification problem in metal gaming tokens by using metal laminate blanks of differing appearance or coloring. Similarly, inserts of various materials on to the faces of metal gaming tokens have also been tried.
The examination of the application as first filed revealed the following art:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,309, and its divisional counter part, U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,486, Robert Howard inventor, discloses a novel plastic gaming chip which has metallic weights inserted into its top and bottom faces and a mechanism for spectroscopic and optical identification and counting of the chips.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,582, Bernard B. Jones inventor, discloses an improved process for fabricating plastic gaming chips wherein an injection molding compound is injected at selected configured locations within and between a pair of aligned, substantial flat ovular non-metallic rings.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,932, John W. Graves inventor, discloses a game or casino chip integrally formed of several distinct layers of moldable thermoplastic materials manufactured by a multi-step molding operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,489, C. Bergman inventor, discloses a substantiate silver dollar in the form of a metal disc with paper silver certificates embedded in recesses in top and bottom faces which are covered with transparent discs so that denominations can visually be identified.
None of the above prior art describes the art or form of the instant invention.
It is the primary object of the invention to provide a slot machine gaming token which is optically and spectrophotometrically identifiable.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an optically and spectrophotometrically identifiable slot machine gaming token which has the weight, thickness and electrical resistance of the conventional metal token.
It is yet an additional object of the invention to provide an optically and spectrophotometrically identifiable slot machine token which has improved abrasion and impact wear resistance.
It is yet an additional object of the invention to provide a multi-colored aesthetically pleasing metal gaming token.
In simplest terms the instant invention utilizes a minted metal token as the base for an abrasion and impact resistant coating which can extend over the entire token-faces but preferably extends over a recess or recesses in the center of the token faces.
In practice, an abrasion-resistant coating composition is applied to the metal token and cured by heat, ultra-violet (xe2x80x9cUVxe2x80x9d) light or electron beam (xe2x80x9cEBNxe2x80x9d) exposure. High solids and 100% reactive liquid coatings or oligomer and powder coatings are preferred for environmental reasons on the basis of their low emission levels of volatile organic compounds. UV and EB coatings are most preferred due to their extremely fast cure rates.
Once coated, a decorative design is infused into the cured coating by the well known subliminatlon dye transfer process. In this system, a transfer medium (often paper) is printed with volatilizable dye based inks. The printed transfer medium is pressed against the coated top and bottom faces of the coated metal token. Heat is then applied to volatilize the dye inks which infuse into the polymerized coating.
This process and technology produce decorations which penetrate deep into and become part of the polymer coating. As such, they are not removed by abrasion as readily as conventional printing which remains on the surface of the coating. The permanence of these colors makes practical the identification of both the issuing casino and token denomination by spectrophotometric scanning devices, while the large number and full color range of commercially available sublimatable dyes insures that there is a sufficient number of distinct spectral responses to assign to each casino.